A Little Bird's Thankyou

Posted on 18th January, 2013

With the snow falling and bitterly cold temperatures outside we seek refuge within our little homes - lighting the fire or putting on the central heating and maybe having a warm bowl of soup. Nice and secure we sometimes forget how lucky we are. I was watching a Blackbird this afternoon just outside our window. At first, I thought that he was merely looking for food among the gaps in the rooftiles of the Therapy Suite, but then I realised, this little Blackbird was actually eating the snow! For a moment, I thought that this was strange but it very quickly dawned on me that the poor little creature wasn't hungry - he was thirsty! So, I put on my coat and hat, and went outside into the cold. Upon uncovering the birdbath and finding it frozen solid, I set about defrosting it and adding some fresh warm water. Within minutes, my little Blackbird was back, and without a fuss he stepped into the warm water and proceeded to take a long drink. As he finished, he glanced over towards where I was standing - as if to say thankyou.

...So, the moral of this true story is that when we are relaxing in front of our warm fires this cold evening, cast a thought to the little birds outside, who are trying really hard to survive at this moment. Providing them with food, but also with a supply of fresh water can really make a difference to them, and it doesn't take much effort on our part. You never know, if you are lucky like I was today, a little bird may even take the time to pause and say thankyou....